Lucidity
by PrettyPleaseWithSugarOnTop
Summary: The miko's apprentice awakens to find herself in a foreign place, and with a creature whose unapologetic demonic nature is a deadly force she has never so much as reckoned with. She will grow to learn that he is very bit as inhuman as she is human, and that there is - absolutely - nothing she can do about it. AU.


**A/N: **There are dark themes in this fic that will steadily reveal itself in further chapters. Beware. This is a fic that might be dubious against many's morals, so for those who take offense easily, reader discretion is advised.

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><p>She awoke, her eyes gradually growing accustomed to the dim light. It took her several more drowsy blinks for her sleep-blurred vision to focus, and she could feel her pulse, which had initially been slow due to her slumber, begin to quicken. The surroundings that greeted her eyes were decidedly unfamiliar. She definitely did not recognize the looming elegant mahogany-colored walls circling her, as well as the large poster bed she was currently sprawled on. The silk sheets pooled around her legs like ivory liquid, and the plush bedding beneath her was soft but thick. The pretty, equally white draperies – streaked with lines of shimmering gold - cascaded down the sides of the roof of the poster bed, and she felt almost like a princess, sitting in the midst of it on the mattress.<p>

A princess lost in a foreign world, that was.

Kagome Higurashi stretched out a hand and touched one of the gold satin pillows lying not far from her on the bed. The fabric was smooth and velvety beneath her fingertips, and she pressed against it, needing its contact to assure her that everything she was currently experiencing was real... that this was not a dream.

She needed it especially when she noticed the sleeping creature beside her.

It was surreal. It was impossible. She knew that creature.

Sure, she had seen him before (and that was from a great distance, granted), and she had heard of him, of course. Who hadn't? Especially as a _miko_'s apprentice, Kagome had most definitely heard of the Lord of _youkai._

Demons. For a long while they had run rampant throughout the forests and the lands, and because of their cruelty and superior power, humans had lived in fear for their lives. Many had died in the hands of the latter, and for many years the human race began to swiftly dwindle. The demons, varying in forms and shapes, materialized unexpectedly from every inch of the earth, their stronger claws unsheathed, their fangs bared, and their blood thirst insatiable. It seemed that most of them appeared to live for bloodshed, for the throne of the strongest, most powerful species in the animal kingdom. Blood – human blood - spilled the soil, and the sting of loss grew abound.

It seemed, then, that the impending doom was inevitable, especially to those people who had barely managed to survive, to those who were still clinging to what seemed to be numbered days; that one day, one dreaded day, the human race would become extinct, and the stronger race would dwell the lands, the race that was the _youkai_.

But then a miracle occurred.

The _miko _had arrived. Priestesses, gifted with rare spiritual power, appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. They stood out among human beings, for one thing was apparent about them that could not be said for the others: They could defend themselves from the very thing that had been the bane of mankind for several years. It was unheard of. And yet because of that humans regarded them as the salvation of the gods – gods whom the people had thought had abandoned them – after long last. For the _miko _came with the ability to protect, not just themselves, but also their human kin.

The _miko_ were strong. They were most certainly not weak; the priestesses, with their arrows and bows, went about their way and painstakingly took down demons which had wreaked havoc and pain for so long amongst the human villages, and finally, after a harsh, grueling battle, the demons began to back down. Their numbers lessened, and with the drop came the relief of everyone else. One could finally leave their home and set about the roads without experiencing terror of being assaulted and killed, and with safety at that.

But the war was far from over, the _miko _had warned the rest of the humans. The lesser _youkai_ had been defeated, that was true, but they revealed that there was a hierarchy even within the _youkai_ system. Much to everyone's dismay, most of the demons which had murdered the lives of humans had been hungry, mindless lesser _youkai:_ demons which let their thirst for human blood consume their instincts, instead of their cunning.

And then there were other obscure demons, few in number but more powerful, who were far cleverer, who rarely showed themselves – had not showed themselves, in fact, throughout the whole time the war had spread - unless it was for a higher, personal purpose, and who were no less bloodthirsty than their lesser selves.

_Daiyoukai._

Until those demons were defeated and killed, the war would not be over. As long as they existed, there would be lesser demons which did their bidding, and even if their subordinates ceased to survive, the _daiyoukai_ were more than capable of taking back what their lesser selves had failed to claim. They existed in a level far higher than what humans had ever encountered, for while the lesser demons triumphed over humans in terms of physical power, the _Daiyoukai's _cunning rivaled even the slyest of humans and their physical strength rivaled – perhaps triumphed, even – the most powerful of _miko_.

The war was not over, and it would never be until the _miko_ had destroyed the _Daiyoukai. _

Kagome stared at the sleeping creature. His eyes were closed serenely, and the row of long silver lashes adorning his smooth marble skin was enchanting. The telltale magenta strips striking each side of his perfectly carved cheekbones were unmistakable. She could see the intricate mark of a crescent moon gleaming from his forehead, slightly obscured by his thick bangs, and she stared at the incredibly long locks of beautiful gossamer silver-white hair decorating the silk bedding around him.

He donned a regal but simple crimson-and-white kimono, with markings of the cherry blossom crest lining the large hems of the flowing silk. The opening of the kimono was loose, revealing the beginnings of the hard ivory planes of his chest. Something about the sight made her stomach clench, and not because she was repulsed. Quite the opposite, really.

Oh, no.

There was also no mistaking the infamous _mokomoko-sama_ that lay curled around his waist and shoulders, the length of thick creamy fur rich and sleekly aristocratic.

The Lord of the West was beautiful; there was no doubt about it. There was something surreal about him that Kagome had never witnessed before with the various lesser _youkai _that she had killed and destroyed to protect her home. It seemed the male before her was indeed of another different league altogether, and there was a danger to the steely allure he radiated. He resembled more an angel than a demon, and that fact in itself was warning enough.

The most deadly of things were always beautiful.

She looked slowly down at herself, and inhaled sharply.

She wore but a plain white silk yakata, and nothing else. She could tell that no underclothing adorned her body, for easily she could see the dark shade of her nipples peeking from beneath the white veil of her skimpy ensemble. She was not even wearing _underwear, _and without it she felt bare and oddly exposed.

Her breathing was rapidly rising as she swallowed audibly. Her hands fluttered to her head, clutching her long dark locks. What was going on? Was this a dream, after all? She did not remember ever changing into this form of attire, and neither did she even remember entering this room in the first place, let alone being in the company of one of humankind's greatest enemy – if not… their sole greatest enemy.

For the _Daiyoukai_ of the West was the most infamous amongst all the _Daiyoukai_.

Kagome bit her lip. That was right. She had been home with Kikyou, in the village they lived in and were assigned to protect. They had been polishing their bows within the room of their hut, ready for their next hunt, the scent of timber and tension thick in the air. For a few days now lesser _youkai_ has been covertly killing people in the darkness of night, using the lack of moonlight as a shield for their sins. As the village priestess' apprentice, it was her duty to join her mistress in their blood-stained line of work in exterminating their adversary.

Didn't they set off in the end? _Why couldn't she remember?_

How had she ended up here, in an opulent bedchamber of some sort of which she had never in her memory entered before, along with the most frightening adversary she and Kikyou had never dared to approach together – neither, actually, had they ever managed to uncover his location despite many failed attempts - for fear of being at his mercy?

Kagome inhaled. She didn't know how this had happened. Perhaps she was dreaming, after all, and she had yet to awaken from this insanity.

She did know this, however. Whether or not this was happening within her head, she was not going to give up this chance.

She lifted her hand, and concentrated. Seconds later, she could feel intense beads of spiritual energy gathering within the nerves of her palm, setting her fine bones aflame with humming heat and power. Kikyou had taught her since she was barely an infant to manipulate the stirrings of her chi, and this was but child's play to her after years of experience. She knew just the right amount for it to be deadly, especially when inflicted near the vulnerable areas of the body.

The female chanced a quick glance. The creature's eyelids remained dipped, his gorgeous slant of silver lashes fanning his smooth skin.

Kagome slowly, not letting herself falter, tipped her fingers – which were glowing slightly with crackling, electrical spiritual power – towards the slender column of the sleeping _Daiyoukai's_ pale throat.

She exhaled, and pressed her hand closer. She was so close that she could feel the creature's husky warmth caressing the skin on her knuckles.

Dark golden eyes flickered open, lashes lifting delicately.


End file.
